Tales of a Bronze Bastard XLIII

Current Rank: Silver V - 81 TP (Gold Matchmaking)

Well, I'm playing during daylight.  This is usually a good thing.  I'm 2nd pick. Our top pick is slurring African Americans in lobby, so I'm already done with this match.  Getting out of it without smashing my hand through a wall will be a Win.

46 minutes of agony.  Sad thing is, the SWK is pretty good.  If he/she weren't a racist asshole and set a horrible tone from the beginning, we probably would have won.  I have a break-even game with more deaths than I'd like, but what can you do.  I didn't put a hand through the wall, so I'm ok.

Current Rank: Silver V - 75 TP (Gold Matchmaking)

My Cherno lane partner from last game is top pick this time.  Fun times.  Let's see how it goes.  I'm 2nd again.  Do I chance another supp game, or try solo for a change? I decide to go Hercules solo.  I haven't played ranked solo in a while, but I think it will be a nice change.  Our 5th pick takes Kukulkan instead of a support.  I guess I'll never be playing ranked on a Friday again.  This is two straight games of complete troll.

Good god, kill me now.  This Kuku suicides 7 times in the first 10 minutes.  We mercifully get an F6 at 10:03.

Well, I guess I know what kind of people play ranked in the early evening on Fridays.  And they are not for me.  I'll get some games in tomorrow, maybe.

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XLII

Current Rank: Silver V - 87 TP

I run the draft as top ELO and ban out He Bo and Zhong Kui.  I take Ne Zha for our 3rd pick, who grabs me Sylvanus.  We have a strong heal and damage output, with Loki solo and Hel mid rounding out the comp.

We play amazingly early on.  I finish boots before the enemy Kumba can even get T2.  We get multiple early kills in duo.  After about 30 minutes of what looks to be a dominant victory, we get tunnel vision and allow Bakasura to split push and take both Phoenixes.  Too much teamfighting on this one, we needed more split pushing.  I finish a strong 3-4-19, though.

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XLI

Current Rank: Silver V - TP 71

I'm 2nd pick.  I go Sylvanus.  We've got a Baron first pick, so I hope he's good. We gotta couple infighters in lobby.  Is this what Sunday afternoon ranked Smite is, now?  Sheesh.  I throw in some positive vibes and motivation, with Baron backing me.  I'm going to get a Neith lane partner against Cerberus/Rama.

I think my motivation worked!  The team stayed chill.  Apparently, the solo and jungler on our team had their roles reversed in their last match together.  They were each trashing the other.  They decided to swap roles.  Whatever they did, worked.  Ama solo went 5-0-11 and crushed.  The Baka went 18-4-8 and was a force of nature.  I went a solid 4-3-12 and took a stride back towards Gold.

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XL

Current Rank: Silver V - TP 77

I'm first pick.  Uh oh.  Freya gets through picks and bans.  This could be very bad.  I'm going with Sylvanus. Our last pick says "mid pref" and takes Anubis even after 3rd pick went Poseidon.  THANK GOD, someone left lobby and crashed us back to queue.  I don't have to play with this troll, praise the Sunday Smite Ranked gods. 

OK, let's go with take 2. I'm third pick.  This ends up being the most troll comp, ever.  We have Agni, Janus, Ne Zha, Chang'e and my Sylvanus.  I don't even know where to start.  I wish I had the last group back, now.  These kids are talking in the lobby like 12 year olds. 

And it ends up being as bad as you'd think it would be.  We take two phoenixes and have a shot, but the in-fighting proved too much. We lost in the end, with a troll comp.  We lost in the lobby, when the top pick bans Cupid and let's the other team take Zhong.  Another loss for the Bronze Bastard.  This is more familiar territory...

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXIX

Current Rank: Silver V - 67 TP (Gold Matchmaking division)

So I'm top 20 Sylvanus player in the world, on the Leaderboard.  How/when did that happen? Top 10 in N/A.  I see NotGeno and EmilZy on the Leaderboard.  And while I know these pros spend a lot more time scrimming and stuff than playing ranked, its cool to see them in the same ranking system I am in.  Let's see what happens on this Saturday afternoon, following two fantasy football drafts.  Feels like it could be a Bronze Bastard kind of afternoon...

I have Hachiman with me as Sylv.  This is usually a very strong lane for me.  We'll be going against Chernobog and Aphro/Herc. I'm just going T1 boots first.  It's Aphrodite.  This Hachiman does not do what you expect him to do.  Thrice, we could have killed but he fled.  After 2 deaths, I decided to play very cautious and rotate mid early.  A hunter this unwilling to engage is unlikely to get himself killed if I roam a bit earlier than I would, normally.

It ended up being the right move.  I find some ganks early that help me stem the tide in our favor.  I make a few mistakes here during phoenix sieges, and the players I'm with explain it in comms.  I was pushing their backline too much, when I should have been protecting ours and letting our Cu Chulain do the engage.  Because we were in comms and they explained what to do, I was able to adjust my next siege to much better effect. I learned a lot about how to define these roles at this specific juncture in the game, and I feel like I'm a better player for it.  I fight back for another come-from-behind-with-Sylvanus game.  3-11-20.  Its good KDA, even though I did get caught out a lot here and need to fix that. 

Game II
Current Rank: Silver V - 83 TP (Gold Matchmaking division)

I take Baron from the 3 spot, to trade with our last pick for Sylvanus.  I'm currently the 16th ranked Sylvanus in the world.  I've got an Ullr lane partner and we will be going against Ganesha/Rama.  Also, the enemies had a first pick Thana.  I fear the pub stomp.

Well, we don't get crushed.  We win early. We get the first tower.  We get an FG.  But we start falling back.  This team does not function well in team fight situations.  Its very frustrating.  We lose a fair match.  I needed my bubble burst, any way.

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXVIII

Current Rank: Silver IV - 51 TP (Gold MM Division)

My history of ranked in the app shows 3 wins with Sylvanus, and nothing else. I'ma try and get support on this. OK, I'm second pick. I take my boy, the opponents respond with Athena.  I've got a Thana jungle and Poseidon mid on my side, so far. My lane partner will be Neith, and we round out our team with a Tyr Solo.  The enemy ADC pairing with Athena will be Rama.  I feel good about our comp; we got CC.  I'm going to need to be wary of this Athena, and pour on pressure to the duo so she can't just ult away on the reg.  Should be fun, let's do this.

Wow, the Neith is as toxic as anyone I've played with.  ALL CAPS MESSAGES INSTEAD OF PLAYING.  I didn't have a great game, many deaths.  I had a strong late game, though.  And I won.  Stay patient, stick to it, win a game you should have lost.  That doesn't sound like something a Bronze Bastard would do...

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXVII

Current Rank: Silver V - TP 35

Our first attempt, the last pick is ADC and chooses to dodge lobby.  We had a good comp with an easy win.  What a shame.

I'm now 4th pick in a group with names like a 13 year old might pick.  This is concerning.  Sylvanus with Xbalanque into Apollo and last pick Ares.  Spicy. What's not so hot: our 2nd and 3rd pick both picked a mage for mid.  2nd pick graciously offered to take Kukulkan solo.  Oy vay.

Well this is an even match early, and I'll even tip the hat in favor of Ares and Apollo.  They use chains'n'dash to perfection.  We play patient and wait for our chance.  This comp actually ends up working fairly well, all said and done.  I have to tinker with my build and I've certainly had better games, but 2-7-18 is fine enough for rock and roll.  Another win for the Bronze Bastard.

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXVI

Current Rank: Silver V - TP 19

I am fourth pick.  This is the first game I've played since mid-season where Ne Zha wasn't banned.  The enemy team takes him.  I hope this isn't a bad sign. I take Sylvanus to pair with Cupid.  The enemy lane is either Ne Zha or Xiang Tian with Medusa.  Its Xing.

Well, I run another game where I just dominate with Sylvanus.  What I usually do is go Guardian's, then I get my first level of boots.  I get 5 health pots and 1 ward.  I situationally choose Blink or Heavenly Wings, depending on whether I plan to be aggressive or defensive.  Most games, I get an early kill in duo and immediately back for my T2 boots to help the spike. 

My second item is Thebes if its a slow game, Stone of Binding if we are snowballing hard, and Lotus Crown if its neutral.  Sov is usually next.  The last two items are always situational. 

We take this game pretty easily.  I go 1-5-15, another divine win for the Bronze Bastard. 

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXV

Current Rank: Silver V - TP 0

I am first pick.  No one has a pet pick, so I just stick with Sylvanus supp.  I really pay attention to ban phase here and do it right.  I ban out He Bo, Freya, and later I ban Cerb and Odin to stop the anti-heal.  My lane partner is Hachiman and have a Ganesha and Artemis play into us.

I go hard after this Artemis.  I'm good early, she's good late.  We need to stay on top of her.  Boy, do we.  Pressure hard.  We get many kills on this duo and easily take tower.  This is a Thebes game, so I'm particularly tanky.  We have dual hunters, so I tack on a Shogun's Kusari and round out my build with a luxury Stone of Binding. 

I go 3-4-17 and finish second in total damage.  A win for the Bronze Bastard.

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXIV - Fall Split Qualifiers

Current Record 5-2

I'm fourth-pick.  Let's see what happens.  So far, its a communicative group in lobby.  I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm Sylvanus working with Izanami, playing with Athena and Hou Yi playing into us.  Let's freaking do this! Let's get the BB into his first-ever + .500 qualifier!!!!

Well, I start strong and play well.  We get a two-minute early kill.  Iza fails to follow me when I ping the map to the Purple buff.  That is the default, winning play if you kill the lane.  Instead, Iza wanted to push more minions into the tower.  End result?  The jungle He Bo shows up and steals the kill from me.  Literally one basic and I would have stolen the enemy purple buff.  What happened instead?  Enemy gets buff, Iza gets killed because she wasn't paying attention, and I get crushed by 3v1.  

That's pretty much how this game went.  We played well, but the other team was better and He-Bo went 28-3.  We got all phoenixes down, but still managed to lose on a team wipe to He Bo.  

Ban He Bo.  How do you get top ELO without learning to ban He Bo?  Stupid.  

Game II Current Record 5-3

 

Of course, the universe must have decided I was doing to well and I needed to get screwed by He Bo.  Hopefully this game, the top ELO will understand that banning He Bo is necessary.  OK, so He Bo doesn't get banned.  The other team passes on all bans and somehow He Bo is not picked.  I am stunned.  The other team has Ao Kuang top pick.  My only guess is that this Ao Kuang is a god.  I better watch out, but Let's go.  

We get crush by a 39-0 Ao Kuang top ELo who didn't ban a single god.  Smoked.  Smurf.  Let's Move on. 

Game III Current Record 5-4

Well, one last try at a W.  I get put into position to take solo.  I end up going Cu Chulain.  I am despartely complaining in lobby chat about banning He Bo and Ao Kuang, after my last two games.  Fourth pick tells me they don't think either should be banned and that I'm probably going to feed.  I tell the player that's fine, I'm just offering suggestions.  Top ELO ends up banning He Bo and Ne Zha.  The enemy top pick takes Ao Kuang.  I tighten up.  But I also see this person is banning gods, so that's a good sign it may be a different player.  The discussion between myself and the doubter continues, with the insinuation being that I'm too tilted if I'm worried about one god.  I issue an ultimatum to this person that if the opposing Kuang goes 30-2, I'll admit I was wrong. 

I am going against an Agni.  Ok.  Sure.  He stuns me quite a bit.  I get rocked.  I am steadily losing to this guy.  Until I finish my Genji's Guard.  I then hold even with him.  I have to take the opposite tact I normally would wih Cu Chu, and play him cautiously.  I end up playing very passively and getting levels back.  Our jungle Awilix is an absolute, beast.  By the by, this was the person that was telling me I would probably feed, and to whom I'd issued an ultimatum.  

I get level, and help in team fights.  All we really need to do is give Awilix space. We have a 36K Awi win the game for us, and the Bronze Bastard goes 6-4 in Fall split qualifiers.  Woot!  Final Ranking?  Silver V.  Aight.  I guess I should start a new blog. 

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXIII - Fall Split Qualifiers

Current record 4-2

I'm 3rd pick.  I take my boi Sylvanus.  My lane partner is Hachiman and we are going into Kumbakharna and Rama.  Let's do this!

We should have early pressure with this comp, and boy do we.  Hachi is on point.  We get a kill in the first minute and a half.  We go on to just completely pour it on these people.  Hard.  

We get a 25-minute victory. We only lost 1 T1 tower along the way.  Absolute and utter domination.  I hit multiple great pulls, and even get called out on it by Hachi.  We just dominate.  Another win for the Bronze Bastard.  Wow. 

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXII - Fall Split Qualifiers

Current record 3-2

So, with the new Timer queue system I have a lot longer to wait for a match.  I'm feeling pretty awful today, and hoping a good ranked game will take my mind off it.  Of course, a bad ranked game will probably make it worse, but what can you do?  I'm going to go back over some older blogs and update the capitalization.  When I started, I was just writing straight thoughts as I had them, but I know that lack of punctuation can turn away potential readers. 

I'm 4th pick.  I take trusty ole Sylvanus. I'm going to have Hou Yi as a lane partner, into Freya/Achilles or Freya/Odin.  Interesting.  Saucy. Freya.  We let Freya through.  Ouch.  Sigh.  Let's do this, I guess.

My Medusa is not very good, probably why she went last pick.  She dies literally before the first minute is up.  This looks bad.  Fortunately, Nike and Agni are both absolute beasts, as is the Susano.  As long as I can keep this Medusa somewhat alive, we may be OK. 

We roll pretty hard over this team, despite the dysfunction of our Medusa. Its a 28 minute Titan kill, and the end was never really in doubt.  The Bronze Bastard is back.

Tales of a Bronze Bastard XXXI - Fall Split Qualifiers

Current W/L - 3-1

I'm third pick.  This will be my first qualifier not being top ELO.  Let's see how that works out.

I pick Chang'e into Tyr.  I do really well and get good advantage, until about the 15 minute mark when I lose out.  At 25 minutes, I go from 90 ping to 300 ping.  We lose

I hate this gdamn game.